Miss Muglia.”
“Busy day.”
“But informative.”
“Mine, too.” They went into Donovan’s apartment. “Sorry to have left you so suddenly, but I found something in Father Roehling’s room I had to check out.”
“You did?”
“Droplets of red wax on the dresser where he was killed. When I saw them I remembered something like them in the janitor’s closet at the Dinkins Shelter. I went back to see. Fullam was not pleased with me—not at first, anyway—but he’s going to take samples of both. He’s looking for saliva and DNA; I’m hoping he can tell us what’s in the wax. Maybe there’s something to help us figure out what religious or philosophical school this ritual comes from.”
“It’s Satanic.”
Donovan’s head jerked over. “What?”
“Miss Muglia told me the killer wore a charm, an amulet, around his neck. From her description—inverted five-pointed star, goat’s head—I surmised it was a Sigil of Baphomet. I sketched one out and she confirmed it.” He glanced over and noted a faint smile on Donovan’s face. “Is there something amusing about an element of Satanism?”
“Oh, uh, no.” His expression turned sheepish. “I’m sorry, it’s just…a satanic killer in Manhattan? And I’m helping to stop him? Not exactly a typical summer job.”
“No, it isn’t.” Father Carroll examined him before showing a small smile. “Given the satanic element, and the involvement of the giant you bested at the morgue, our path becomes clearer. Our priority must be to prepare ourselves in every way, mentally, spiritually, and physically.”
Donovan felt a charge in his stomach. “Want to take a run to my gym?”
***
They left his building to run west, to the promenade along the Hudson River. A steady breeze dotted the surface of the water with whitecaps and kept the June sun from growing too warm. As he dodged a tourist who was lining up a picture of the Intrepid , Donovan felt Father Carroll’s eyes on him. “Is everything okay?”
“I might ask you the same question. This is more than sport, Donovan. I hope you do understand that.”
“I’m taking it seriously, Father. It’s just that it’s one thing to study mythology and weird religions, and another thing to have to deal with them in reality.”
“If there was anything I wanted you to take away from my classes, it’s that ‘reality’ is an extremely flexible concept.”
“I get that—in theory. But you learn more in one performance than in a hundred rehearsals. This is my first performance, and I am definitely learning. Come on, don’t you get any sense of excitement or adventure out of what we’re doing?”
“More at some times than others,” Father Carroll admitted. “Regardless, it is imperative to prepare fully. That’s something you must take seriously.”
“I do. Mentally, I’ve been studying this stuff forever. Physically, I’ve been working out at gyms since I was ten and The Colonel taught me how to box.”
“And spiritually?”
“Spiritually…okay, so philosophical hermeneutics has made me pretty skeptical. A lot of devils quote Scripture.” He sidestepped as a bicycle rode past. The rider didn’t even look up. “When it comes to organized religion, it isn’t ‘religion’ I have a problem with, it’s ‘organized.’”
“Clever words.”
“Best I can do is believe in myself. Occasionally wrong, never uncertain.”
“Belief in oneself is a way of expressing belief in the glory that God has manifested within you. It’s not for us to know or understand God’s plan, but to trust that His guidance of our actions will keep us walking the righteous path. We need only the courage to follow His lead. Such is faith, and I see it within you. It’s why I’ve involved you in this situation.”
Donovan couldn’t have explained why, but the priest’s words reassured him. Still, he felt uncomfortable expressing it. “Well, I won’t let you down. Whatever reason I’m involved, I
“Busy day.”
“But informative.”
“Mine, too.” They went into Donovan’s apartment. “Sorry to have left you so suddenly, but I found something in Father Roehling’s room I had to check out.”
“You did?”
“Droplets of red wax on the dresser where he was killed. When I saw them I remembered something like them in the janitor’s closet at the Dinkins Shelter. I went back to see. Fullam was not pleased with me—not at first, anyway—but he’s going to take samples of both. He’s looking for saliva and DNA; I’m hoping he can tell us what’s in the wax. Maybe there’s something to help us figure out what religious or philosophical school this ritual comes from.”
“It’s Satanic.”
Donovan’s head jerked over. “What?”
“Miss Muglia told me the killer wore a charm, an amulet, around his neck. From her description—inverted five-pointed star, goat’s head—I surmised it was a Sigil of Baphomet. I sketched one out and she confirmed it.” He glanced over and noted a faint smile on Donovan’s face. “Is there something amusing about an element of Satanism?”
“Oh, uh, no.” His expression turned sheepish. “I’m sorry, it’s just…a satanic killer in Manhattan? And I’m helping to stop him? Not exactly a typical summer job.”
“No, it isn’t.” Father Carroll examined him before showing a small smile. “Given the satanic element, and the involvement of the giant you bested at the morgue, our path becomes clearer. Our priority must be to prepare ourselves in every way, mentally, spiritually, and physically.”
Donovan felt a charge in his stomach. “Want to take a run to my gym?”
***
They left his building to run west, to the promenade along the Hudson River. A steady breeze dotted the surface of the water with whitecaps and kept the June sun from growing too warm. As he dodged a tourist who was lining up a picture of the Intrepid , Donovan felt Father Carroll’s eyes on him. “Is everything okay?”
“I might ask you the same question. This is more than sport, Donovan. I hope you do understand that.”
“I’m taking it seriously, Father. It’s just that it’s one thing to study mythology and weird religions, and another thing to have to deal with them in reality.”
“If there was anything I wanted you to take away from my classes, it’s that ‘reality’ is an extremely flexible concept.”
“I get that—in theory. But you learn more in one performance than in a hundred rehearsals. This is my first performance, and I am definitely learning. Come on, don’t you get any sense of excitement or adventure out of what we’re doing?”
“More at some times than others,” Father Carroll admitted. “Regardless, it is imperative to prepare fully. That’s something you must take seriously.”
“I do. Mentally, I’ve been studying this stuff forever. Physically, I’ve been working out at gyms since I was ten and The Colonel taught me how to box.”
“And spiritually?”
“Spiritually…okay, so philosophical hermeneutics has made me pretty skeptical. A lot of devils quote Scripture.” He sidestepped as a bicycle rode past. The rider didn’t even look up. “When it comes to organized religion, it isn’t ‘religion’ I have a problem with, it’s ‘organized.’”
“Clever words.”
“Best I can do is believe in myself. Occasionally wrong, never uncertain.”
“Belief in oneself is a way of expressing belief in the glory that God has manifested within you. It’s not for us to know or understand God’s plan, but to trust that His guidance of our actions will keep us walking the righteous path. We need only the courage to follow His lead. Such is faith, and I see it within you. It’s why I’ve involved you in this situation.”
Donovan couldn’t have explained why, but the priest’s words reassured him. Still, he felt uncomfortable expressing it. “Well, I won’t let you down. Whatever reason I’m involved, I
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